Chapter 5 - What Dominic Had Been HidingThe hospital corridor smelled like antiseptic.
I hated it.
Every breath brought Leo back.
Dominic noticed.
“You okay?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
He didn't ask again.
That surprised me.
Men like Dominic Moretti weren't supposed to care about someone else's pain.
But he quietly moved away from the hospital room door so I wouldn't have to see inside.
Then he said:
“I wasn't supposed to be here tonight.”
I looked at him.
“What?”
“My son and I were supposed to leave Chicago this morning.”
“Why?”
He hesitated.
“Someone inside my organization betrayed me.”
I stared at him.
“And you brought your newborn into a restaurant?”
“I thought the restaurant was safe.”
“Why?”
“Because the owner is loyal.”
I remembered something.
Bellavita's owner.
Mr. Bellini.
He had always been strangely nervous around Dominic.
I asked:
“Who knew you would be there tonight?”
Dominic's eyes sharpened.
“My family.”
“Who else?”
“My security team.”
“Your restaurant staff?”
“No.”
I looked at him.
“Then how did someone know?”
He didn't answer.
A nurse stepped out.
“The baby is stable.”
Dominic closed his eyes.
For the first time, his shoulders dropped.
I watched him breathe.
Then the nurse continued.
“But we need to run more tests.”
Dominic nodded.
She walked away.
He turned toward me.
“Thank you.”
I shook my head.
“Don't thank me yet.”
“Why?”
“Because I don't think the person who did this wanted your son dead tonight.”
Dominic stared at me.
“What makes you say that?”
“Because if they wanted him dead, they wouldn't have made it so obvious.”
He said nothing.
I continued.
“They wanted you terrified.”
His eyes darkened.
“You think this was a message.”
“Yes.”
Dominic looked toward the hospital room.
Then his phone rang again.
This time, the caller was his wife.
He answered.
A woman's panicked voice came through.
“Dominic…”
“What?”
“Where are you?”
“At the hospital.”
Silence.
Then she whispered:
“Don't trust anyone.”
The call ended.
Dominic slowly lowered the phone.
I stared at him.
“Who was that?”
“My wife.”
“And what did she mean?”
He looked at me.
“I don't know.”
May you like
But his expression told me something else.
He did.
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